


Until Morning Comes

by cdrlizziebean



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 05:38:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12183936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cdrlizziebean/pseuds/cdrlizziebean
Summary: What if Liam and Ryder met before leaving the Milky Way? What if they had no idea who each other were?The night before joining the Initative on the fateful voyage, Ryder takes a bet from a man she doesn't know and goes on one last adventure with a handsome young man who has no idea what he's getting into.





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thank you to CalypsoTea who made the art for this project. I love MEBB so much and every time I get an artist I'm excited about what will come out of it. I had left her free range to pick whichever scene and whichever part she loved. And I'm so glad she did. I hope everyone likes this piece. <3
> 
> PS. Shout out to Azzy for putting up with all of us another year. You're the best!

The hum of Club Millenia pulsed around them. Pink and orange lights flickered across their bright, smiling faces as they down one drink after another. Drinks they didn’t even know the names of.

Marnie, a tall, thin woman grew somber, placing her half empty glass on the table. “We are gathered here today to remember my dearly departed friends, Odette Ryder and Abigail Farring.”

Abigail burst out laughing, her voice cutting through the thumping bass of the music.

“Marnie, we aren’t dead,” Odette mused, tipping back the last of her drink. She grimaced as the liquid burned down her throat.

“You’ll be dead to me,” she hissed, her voice garbled with alcohol. “You little shits. I tell you you’re good at your job just once! And then you decide to travel across the universe as the experts in your goddamned field.” She flung her arm out, nearly smacking Abigail across the face.

Abigail hushed Marnie, pressing her thin fingers against her lips. “We aren’t allowed to say anything. Besides...” Abigail side eyed Odette. “I’m the only one going as the expert in my field. Odette’s just daddy’s little girl.”

Odette elbowed Abigail hard in the side before they both broke into a fit of giggles.

“Y’all are still leaving me,” she murmured, swirling the amber liquid in her glass before slamming the glass hard on the table. “You’re as good as dead. And...and I’ll--”

Odette squeezed her friend’s hand. She knew that Marnie wanted to go with them, but she had two little kids and a wife that worked on the Citadel. She couldn’t uproot them for a maybe. The Andromeda project was for people who could risk things. Odette didn’t have any connections in the Milky Way that couldn’t be severed. Her family was coming with. Hell, she was going to work with her father. Besides, she doubted she’d get to go on anymore digs with her family’s reputation.

“It’s okay Marnie. Why don’t we just have a few more drinks and not think about tomorrow?” Odette suggested, looking for someone to order another round.

She shook her head, drinking the last bit in her glass. “Actually, I should get going.” Marnie stood, swiping through her omni-tool to pay her tab. “My little ones are probably staying up to see me. And I’ve already had one too many.” She smiled weakly. “The next round’s on me though.” She winked, eyes watering.

Odette stood, tossing her arms around her friend. “I’ll tell everyone about how great of a site manager you were.” She pulled away. “And how brave of a mother you are.”

Marnie nodded. She held up her hands creating a frame in the air. Her two friends stood  in the frame: Abigail with her long blonde hair curled about her shoulders and hazel eyes twinkling with alcohol; Odette looked a bit more sober, looking at her friend, but her freckled cheeks were still flushed and her short brown hair disheveled.

“I’ll remember you both as you are now. Drunk and grinning like idiots.” All three laughed, and Marnie turned to leave.

As she left, the reality of it sunk in. Tomorrow Odette was going to be put to sleep, shot across the universe, and leave everything behind. All for a chance at _something_. Nothing was promised or perfect. She was going to be part of the Pathfinder team. She was going to see all the rough edged and disasters. She was going to be part of the team that saw the worst, cleaning up and organizing a small, tucked away part of the Andromeda galaxy for them. She swallowed, looking at her empty glass.

“Alright,” Abigail said, draping her arm around her friend. “No time to be depressed. Sir, I need another round of shots of your strongest alcohol...make that two. It doesn’t matter what kind...okay one that glows in the dark so we’ll know when we throw it up in the morning.” She grinned at Odette.

“Easy for you to be excited. When you wake up, everything will be peachy and put together.”

“Right, you’ll be stuck with your dad and brother for like _months_ before the rest of us get thawed,” Abigail laughed.

“I think it’ll be a lot more than months…”

“Fine. _Years._ Be dramatic. Anyway,” She turned away, accepting the shots from the server, before sliding two over to Odette. “It’ll be exactly like the dig we were just on. You’ll get super focused. You’ll do whatever you’re told but better because god damn you’re an overachiever. And you’ll never realize how much time’ll have passed until they thaw me out to remind you. Mostly because I’ll be young and beautiful and you’ll be old as shit.” She winked, taking a glass in her hand and tossing back the potent liquid. Odette followed suit.

“Any cuties in your group?” Abigail asked, tapping the second glass on the table before shooting it back. “Definitely can help make the time go by faster.”

Odette rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know,” she hissed, mildly annoyed. “Do you think I’ve had time to look at the roster? We _just_ got back from the dig like two days ago. We have a final check in tomorrow morning with everyone, but if you keep giving me shots, I don’t think I’ll make that either.”

Abigail laughed. “Another round it is.”

Odette shook her head. “I suppose we’ll have over six hundred years to sleep off this hangover.”

“That’s the spirit!” Abigail winked. “Let’s dance.” She dropped from her stool and pulled Odette over to the dance floor.

“Abigail, I’m not that drunk yet.” Odette could dance. If the waltz was something that happened in the club. She had picked up ballroom dancing for her mother. She could do a mean foxtrot but she didn’t have the flow of drunk grinding down yet. Plus there were way too many people in such a tight space. She shook her head.

Abigail was already distracted by the pull of the dance floor. She pushed her hips up against one of the other dancers, turning to Odette with a wink. She pulled Odette close, draping her arms across her shoulders.

“I think it’s time we get ourselves laid,” Abigail whispered.

“What?” Odette laughed, her blue eyes wide.

“Come on. One last adventure in the Milky Way...before we end up light years away and you have all your _boring_ janitorial duties before I wake up. What do you say?”

Odette scanned the crowd, catching the eye of the young man who just entered the club with a group of people. His dark hair almost as wild as the glint in his brown eyes. It was probably the combination of pulsing music, low flickering lights, the fifth long island, and whatever the fuck shots she’d just drank, but she was starting to agree with Abigail.

“Fine, one last adventure.”

Abigail laughed, tousling Odette’s short brown hair. “There’s my girl.”

 

***

 

“I’ll bet you twenty credits that Shepard is still alive,” Odette slurred at the bald man to the right of Liam. She had already forgotten his name but Liam’s stuck in her head like honey. It felt familiar but she was too drunk to try to figure out why. The bald man was named something like Richard or Raphael or something that didn’t include an R at all. She didn’t care though. He wasn’t cute. He was argumentative.

“Really, Deedee?” Liam asked, laughter dancing in his eyes.

Right. She had introduced herself as Deedee. Not Odette. DD-9645. Her code number on digs. How everything was categorized. Everyone had a nickname on the digs. Odd or Oddie just didn’t have the same ring when you’re trying to cut Prothean technology out of a cliffside without everything crumbling around you. Besides, too many of the archeologists muttered the word _odd_ when they ran across something new and confusing so she couldn’t be called that.

“Really!” her voice cracked. “Either I’m going to have to kick his ass in a fist fight or make twenty credits. And I’m always up for making twenty credits.” She winked. They were inches apart from each other. Her knee had been grazing his for most of the night. He smelled of cheap cologne, coconut, and mint julep which was surprisingly a good combination. They had almost kissed a few times, until his friend brought up Shepard being dead.

“You couldn’t kick my ass.” The bald man laughed.  
“Are you sure you want to end tonight with a broken nose?” Odette returned, raising an eyebrow.

Abigail laughed.

“You’ll never win with her,” Abigail teased. Apparently, she thought the bald man was cute--at least cute for the night.

“I don’t want to win with her,” he teased back. “I’d rather spend my night with you.”

“Oh, honey, the night’s not over yet.”

Odette mock gagged, standing from her seat. For having so many drinks, she had most of her balance. For the bit of balance she’d lost, she used Liam’s shoulder for support. Her fingers curled harmlessly in the collar of his shirt.

“If I prove that Commander Shepard is still alive, will you give me twenty credits?”

“Dee, _come on_ ,” Abigail complained. “You’re not going to get laid with that kind of attitude.” She giggled into the bald man’s chest. Liam blushed and if Odette wasn’t so determined to prove this man wrong, she would have blushed bright crimson across her tan cheeks.

Instead she popped up her omni-tool, nodding at the bald man to give her his number. “Do we have a deal?” she hissed.

“Fine, we have a deal.” He swiped at his omni-tool. “If you can prove to me Commander Shepard is still alive, I’ll give you twenty credits. If you _can’t_ by, say, 0600 in the morning…” He eyed Liam. “You owe me the credits.”

She grinned. “I’ll get you proof in the next hour.” She leaned down to Liam, her bangs crossing over her sparkling eyes. “It was nice to meet you,” she whispered, leaving a warm, lipstick stained kiss on his nose. Her hand grazed across his back before she charged out of the club.

“Go after her, Liam,” he laughed. “She’s gonna need someone to comfort her when she’s dead wrong.” He winked at his friend who grinned back through his blushing.

It seemed Liam Kosta was going to go on one last adventure before leaving this galaxy for good.


	2. Part Two

He followed her to the elevator. “Hey, wait up,” he called, jogging to her. She hesitated on the controls, waiting for him to cross the threshold before swiping her omni-tool with the science level credentials.

“What’s the plan? You know someone who knows someone,” he teased, digging his hands in his pockets. She swayed as the elevator jerked to move.

“No,” she sighed, “But I know where the Spectre offices are and I’m going to get my information as close to the original source as I possibly can.” She turned to him. “Unless you know someone who  _ knows _ someone.” She quirked her eyebrow at him. He shook his head, watching the numbers on the holo screen drop to three before the doors opened.

A sign with _System Alliance:_ _Science and Archaeology Division_ greeted them as they entered the room. It was stark white with everything organized perfectly. She headed for a cubby of color coded bins that sat on the far left corner of the room. The label _DD-9645_ flickered above the cubby.

“So, what do you do for a living,  _ Deedee _ ?” He ran his fingers across the label, stopping at the  _ DD _ and tapping gently. She stared at his hand for a moment before looking away.

“I’m an archeologist.” If you considered a twenty-two year old woman who used a laser cutter for hours on end just to have some scientists frown about the results an archeologist. “Focused mostly on Prothean technology. What about you?” She gently nudged him over with her hip, moving to open a drawer with a bag of supplies.

“I work with, uh, crisis response. My team does a lot of clean up after disasters and search and rescue. Sometimes security and general good deeds.”

“Oh, so you’re a cop.” She looked up at him, blowing a strand of dark brown hair out of her eyes.

“I mean, kind of,” he hesitated. “I’m off-duty if that’s what you’re asking.” He chuckled and she grinned at him.

“I wasn’t worried about that,” she teased. She put a pair of gloves on, moving the rest of the gear to a table in the center of the room. She pulled a climbing rig out of the bag and wrapped the cording around her body. After a few intoxicated tries, she finally snapped the latch into place on her chest, pulling down at her white, low cut shirt just enough to reveal the lace edge of her bra. Liam was standing too close to her to not notice. He blinked up at her eyes which followed his carefully.

“You have lipstick on your nose.”

Liam looked confused for a second before mouthing a silent  _ Oh _ and rubbing his nose clean.

“Better?”

Her eyes traveled across his face. She could still taste alcohol on her lips and she wondered if his tasted as minty as his breath.

If it wasn’t the last night, if she had more consequences to her actions, she wouldn’t have pressed her hips against his. She wouldn't have run the tip of her fingers across his stubbled jaw and placed her lips on his.

But it was her last night and he tasted far better than the mint ever could have. His hands found her waist, sliding into the space between the band of her pants and the hem of her shirt. His fingers felt hot against her skin, as hot as his breath as he went in for a second kiss. His tongue parted her soft lips. She moaned, grinding her hips into him.

He moved his hands higher, connecting with the band of the climbing gear. They were tightly fastened under her breast. He pulled away, nodding at the gear, before letting go. Odette blinked, bringing herself back into focus.

Liam cleared his throat. “So you’re going to scale the side of a building, break into a secure spectre office, and steal intel on if Commander Shepard is or is not alive...just for twenty credits?”

Odette frowned, pulling her shirt back into place. “No, it’s also about my pride. I’m right and your friend’s wrong.” She tested the strength of the magnetic grips against the table before stuffing them into her bag. She crossed the room back to her old station and pulled a few sanitizer wipes out of a thin package near her old tools. She wiped the rest of her red and smearing lipstick off using the lemon scented wipe and offered one to Liam with a smirk. She had left her mark on him, a thin coating of raspberry tinted kisses around his lips. He accepted the wipe but made a face at the taste of synthetic lemon on his mouth.

“Also for twenty credits,” she added, sighing. “You coming or not?” She quirked an eyebrow. Liam was in love with that eyebrow. He was in love with the bright twinkle in her blue eyes and the twitch of her lips as she waited for his answer. He was falling hard for her. Hard and dangerously fast.

“I think I’m in love with you,” he whispered.

She rolled her eyes. “You don’t even know my real name,” she teased, turning for the door. She disappeared around the corner without looking back. Deep down she prayed he’d follow. What fun would breaking into the upper levels of the C-Sec offices if she was going to do it alone?

She wasn’t disappointed. The wild haired man was jogging up next to her in a second, zipping his jacket up to his neck.

“Alright, crazy girl, what do you need from me?” he whispered, his voice low and velvety. She could feel her spine tingle and a smile creep across her face. 

“You aren’t afraid of heights are you, hot stuff?” She dropped a second pair of grips into his hands. He grinned back.

“Of course not,” he teased.

 

***

 

“Don’t look at my ass,” she yelled down at him. It was the dead of night--at least the equivalent of the dead of night on the Citadel. The only thing that could be heard were the sounds of ventilated air, the creak of metal, and the faint thumping of music from the few diehard clubs that stayed open until the synthetic blue sky reappeared. But for now the blue sky was gone, showing off the clusters upon clusters of stars above them. The shine of stars reflected off the darkened glass of the C-Sec tower.

“But the view’s so nice,” he called back, trying not to freak out about being ten stories above the ground. He wasn’t afraid of heights. He was afraid of the gear that didn’t quite fit him not working right.

Odette, on the other hand, had hopped onto the wall with such confidence, he wondered if she did this often or if she was still stupidly drunk. Or probably both. At this height, her head swam with alcohol and it took all her focus to climb up in a straight line. But it wasn’t the first time she had climbed something drunk, she climbed things all the time. She just wasn’t the fastest climber so she didn’t brag about it.

“Don’t make me drop on you,” she threatened, pulling herself up another story. She settled back on her right foot, flipping on her omni-tool.

“You wouldn’t dare,” he returned.

Odette laughed. “You wanna bet?”

“With you?” he teased. “I don’t think betting with you’ll be good for my health.”

“Hmm, maybe.” She looked down at him. “I’d recommend getting up here otherwise you might be making fast friends with plexiglass.”

Liam sighed, adjusting his grip and pulling himself up beside her. She pushed herself up against him, turning her head.

“You’re right about the view though.” She nodded across the Citadel. The pools of water were quiet, glowing a faint blue. And the paths crisscrossed a purple hued pattern into the distance. A few specks of people moved across far reaching paths, nowhere near them. They were probably leaving one club for another, or finally finding their way home. Either way, they were too far for them to notice two people hanging from the C-Sec building.

“Yeah, it is kinda nice. I’m going to miss it,” Liam muttered, shifting his weight.

“Oh,” Odette called over her shoulder. She had moved her omni-tool across the glass and was beginning to laser a hole. “You’re leaving?”

“I’m, uh, being deployed. Tonight’s my last night...on the Citadel.”

Odette felt a pang in her chest. She wanted to ask him if he was part of the Initiative--even though she’d gotten reprimanded by her father multiple times for even thinking about asking people that question. But if he was being deployed, he was probably being deployed with his team, and she doubted they were part of it. She doubted that any of the other recruits were dumb enough to get drunk the night before taking the longest nap of their lives.

Only Odette and Abigail. And maybe Scott. But he had other people to say goodbye to.

Before she could give him a response, the glass cut away with a quiet tink and clattered to the ground of the Spectre Offices.

“That went better than I had expected,” she breathed. She pulled herself in and offered a hand to Liam.

“What did you expect to happen?” He jumped in after her, careful of the ring of glass now laying on the ground.

“The whole window to shatter. The laser is a prototype,” she laughed, shaking her left wrist.

“Huh,” he returned, looking around him.

The room was dark, sparsely furnished. A large desk covered in various paperwork, nicknacks and a lamp sat near the middle of the room. Sleeping monitors lined the wall behind it. Odette moved to the desk, swiping her fingers across her omni-tool.

“The Spectre Offices,” he breathed. “I thought they’d look, I don’t know, cooler?”

Odette laughed. “They’re still remodelling the place since the attack a while back.”

“How do you know that?”

She didn’t look up from her omni-tool as she worked on hacking the system. “I might know someone who knows someone.” It was more that her brother had a fling with someone who was part of the architecture team a while back and Scott had told Odette. Actually, the twins barely had a secret between them. She might keep this one a secret though.

“Ha, I knew it.” Liam crossed the room. He stood on the other side of the table watching her work. Her eyebrows were knitted in concentration. The glow of the omni-tool making her eyes sparkle far brighter than he’d seen all night.

“Don’t touch anything, alright?” she said, keeping her focus on the computer as she booted up the screen. The whole room lit up blue. Every monitor flashed a thousand lines of code.

“What would I touch anyway?” he joked. She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. He lifted his hands in defeat. “Got it.”

She turned back to the computer, sliding past security gates and into the spectre files. It was a lot harder than she was used to, not because they had really great security (they didn’t) but because the blue letters blurred together too much. She slowed down, taking a deep breath. She didn’t need to impress a guy she was never going to see again with her hacking skills. She was too drunk to do that.

“There!” she shouted, a little too loudly, gesturing for him to come around. “Look, Spectre Shepard. Status: alive. Last known location: Citadel. Shepard’s on the Citadel. Shepard’s alive and…” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “...on the Citadel. Holy shit.  _ Holy shit. _ ”

She shook herself back to reality, calling up the bald man’s information and sending the classified Spectre information about Shepard on without a second thought.

She looked up at Liam, eyes dancing with excitement. She cupped his face in her hands and pressed lips hard against his. “I won the bet,” she whispered before pressing her lips against his again and again.

“Somehow I like you winning the bet more than Ricky,” he laughed.

Odette laughed. Her omni-tool pinged with a credit transfer. “How about I buy you a drink with this?” she breathed, her lips grazing across his.

“How about you buy me two?” he laughed, kissing her again. She chuckled against his lips. Her voice was warm. His hand slipped to her waist, pulling her close to him. He rocked his hips against her and rolled her shirt up to the climbing gear band. His calloused fingers traced across her stomach, around her hips, and up her back.

Odette moaned against his lips. She shifted onto the table. Her hand spread across the glass table top, pushing nicknacks from their place.

Liam went to release the clip of her climbing gear, but as he shifted his weight, the room blinked from blue to red. An alarm rang out over them.

“ _ Shit _ ,” Odette hissed, slipping out from under him. “You touched something.”

“I touched you.”

“I’m the most temperamental out of everything in this room.” She moved to the door but the alarm had put the building on lockdown. There was no way they were going out that door. She ran to the window, staring out at the deep pools of water. “We’re going to have to jump.”

“What?” his voice cracked. She rolled her eyes, running to him.

“Jump. We’re going to have to jump.” She grabbed him by the gear clasp and pulled him into a run. She let go before the window, jumping feet first into the abyss. He watched her dropped the ten stories into the glittering pool water below.

“Shit, shit,” he looked back into the office. The far door was still closed but the alarms indicated that someone was going to burst through the door any second. C-sec...or worse, an actual Spectre.

“Hey, just jump already,” he heard a voice echo from below. Odette was treading water in one of the larger pools. The water reflected diamonds of light across her face. “Jump or I’m going to have to have those drinks by myself.” She sputtered out water, pushing herself closer to the far end of the pool.

Liam took a deep breath and jumped. He hit the water hard, dropping below the surface like a rock. He felt hands around him, removing the climbing gear from his chest, and pulling him to the surface.

“You should have told me you couldn’t swim,” she teased.

“I can swim. I just don’t normally jump out of windows after crazy women.”

She splashed water at him. He ducked below the water, reaching out for her and pulling her towards him. She let out a bark of laughter.

“I don’t usually make a habit of being the crazy woman,” she teased, running her hands up his shoulders. She giggled. He kissed her. Her lips tasted salty from the pool water.

“How did you know that’d work?”

She hummed against his lips. “I didn’t.” She gave a quick kiss before pulling away and swimming across the pool.

He blinked, trying to register how he almost could have died because he followed a brunette on a criminal escapade.

“How about that drink?” She called, pulling herself out of the water.

“Uh, yeah...yeah! That sounds fantastic.”


	3. Part Three

They were soaked, standing in the elevator.They kept lacing their fingers together and laughing.

It didn’t take long for Liam to not let go, to keep her fingers interlaced with his. He pulled her hand up between them, backing her up against the elevator wall and kissed her. He was gentle, so gentle. Her body ached at the light butterfly touch across her lips. Odette closed her eyes, whimpering.

He finally let go of her hand, moving his hands to her neck, cupping her face as he went in for a deeper kiss.

“We’re going to your friend’s place?” he breathed, before moving his mouth and hands down. Pulling down the collar of her shirt, he peppered her collarbone with kisses.

“Yeah, my friend Tabitha’s.”

“She won’t mind?”

“She’s visiting her parents so it’ll be empty. I stay at her place all the time.”

He hummed as he reached for her lips again, pulling her body tight against her.

“She had me water her plants once and never changed the code.”

He chuckled. His fingers traced against the neckline of her shirt as he continued to kiss her.

“Plus she has dry clothes.”

His lips dancing from her lips to her jawline.

“And she has beer. Lots of beer.”

“Sounds like a good friend.”

The elevator stopped, opening to a hall of apartments. It took a moment for them to separate, not realizing right away that the doors of the elevator had even opened.

When they did separate, giggling to themselves, Odette laced her fingers back with his and pulled him down the hall.

 

***

 

“What time is it anyway?” Liam asked, plopping down onto the couch. He had removed his shirt, leaving it dripping across the back a dining room chair.

“Two thirty, I think?” Odette called from the kitchen. She appeared a few minutes later with two beers. She dropped down beside him. “Here’s the drink I promised.” She grinned at him. Her dark hair was plastered across her forehead.

He laughed, taking the bottle from her.

“What?”

“Do you know how ridiculous you look right now?”

She had gotten sober enough to blush. The pink spread across her plump cheeks. She quirked an eyebrow, trying to focus herself and keep the blush from spreading any farther.

She ran her fingers through her short hair, shaking the damp strands into even more ridiculous positions. “Have you seen yourself?”

Liam looked at her with surprise before bursting out into laughter. He looked like a damp puppy. His eyes twinkled brightly when he smiled but the rest of his face was damp and he still had marks left from her lipstick. His hair dripped onto his shoulders. “I bet I look better than you right now.”

“Oh, you _bet,_ do you?” She lifted herself up, turning toward him like a cat ready to pounce.

“Yeah, if I’m right I get to kiss you.”

“And if you’re not?”

“You get to kiss me.”

Odette’s shoulders relaxed. She settled back into the couch. “You’re a bit of an asshole you know that?”

Liam took a swig from his beer. “I’m just trying to feel you out. See where this is going.”

Odette leaned in closer. “Finish your beer and find out.”

Liam eyed her a second as she grabbed her beer and downed it in a few large gulps. Beads of alcohol traced down her neck, mixing with the water already drenching her white shirt. He could see the outline of her bra. He could see how the shirt clinged to her stomach.

She placed her bottle back on the coffee table and turned to him. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even finish his beer. He reached out, wrapping his hand around the back of her neck, and pulled her to him. He kissed the taste of beer off her lips. He replaced the touch of her shirt against her skin with the touch of hands. He pulled her damp shirt over her head and let it drop to the floor.

Odette pushed him back, settling her body across him. She kissed him hard on the lips before dropping to his neck, suckling the skin down to his collarbone. Her fingers dropped to his pants, undoing the button and slipping between. He gasped when she touched him. Her touch was still cool against his skin but her fingers were gentle, leaving streaks of tingles as she moved.

He sought her lips, parting them with his tongue. She moaned, pressing herself tighter to him as she moved her fingers. She stroked him, gently at first and harder as his breath hitched her cheek.

“Please,” he breathed, quiet and trembling against her ear. She kissed him, running her tongue against his lips.

“We should take this upstairs,” she whispered, slipping away from him. She grabbed his beer, taking a sip from it, before placing it back on the table. She winked at him and grabbed him by the wrist, tugging him towards the stairs and towards the empty bedroom.

The bed was cool against her back as he pushed her down on it. She wriggled out of her damp jeans and let everything drop to the floor at the end of the bed. Liam stripped down, before pulling himself onto the bed, settling between her thighs.

He moved her hips against him, gliding his hand down to her heat. She gasped at his touch. He pressed his callused thumb against her sensitive nub, drawing small quick circles until her gasps rolled into moans and her back arched her body into him. He kissed her fiercely matching her moans with his until she whimpered out a quiet but satisfying orgasm.

She smiled up at him as he kissed her cheeks and neck and nose, moving his hands to her hips. Her own hands searched for him, smoothly crossing over his abs and down between his legs. She wrapped her fingers around him, restarting what she had begun downstairs. She bit her lip, watching his face overcome with emotion. Each stroke his body tightened. Each stroke he pulled closer to her.

Odette moved him to her, pressing him against her heat. He slid in with a hitch of her breath. They pulsed. Odette shifted her body to take control. His fingers dug into her hips.

Liam grunted against her ear as they rose and fell together.

Then suddenly Odette went still. Her legs fell from his hips and her head turned towards the bedroom door.

“Did you hear that?” she whispered.

“What?”

Odette pressed her fingers against his lips. Footsteps echoed downstairs, followed by fits of giggles that Odette knew all too well. She sighed against Liam’s cheek, pulling herself away from him. She involuntarily whimpered as he slipped from inside her.

“It’s Abigail,” she hissed, “and probably that friend of yours.”

“Are you sure?”

Odette gave him a look. “Wanna bet?”

Liam stifled a snort and Odette covered her mouth before a laugh could escape. “I’ll just check myself then.”

“While you’re over there can you hand me my clothes, please?”

Liam dropped from the bed, collecting her clothes and tossing them to her.

“Thanks,” Odette returned, wriggling into her underwear without getting off the bed.

Liam quickly put what he had of his clothes on, knowing they had both left their shirts on the floor in the living room. He ducked down into the hall, hearing Odette hiss out a curse word. On the first floor, slammed up against the wall separating the kitchen from the living room were two bodies searching each other in the dark.

They shifted over and the automatic lights sensed them, turning on the hanging lights in the living room. He could see their shirts there, in a bunch on the floor between the couch and the coffee table. Plus the two bottles of beer sitting in plain view if the two lovebirds stopped necking for a moment to see.

“Shit,” Liam whispered.

“Too late for our shirts, huh?” Odette called only a few feet away. He gave her a short nod and she quietly disappeared around the corner. Liam ducked back into the bedroom.

“We don’t have much time.”

Odette waved her hand dismissively as she dug around in the closet. She pulled a blue Blasto shirt out of the bottom drawer. “Hey,” she muttered, turning to him, “this is my shirt. I can’t believe she stole it.”

“Well, steal it back quick and let’s go. Do you think we can sneak out the bedroom window?”

Odette pulled the shirt over her head. “Of course we can. I used to do it all the time.” She crossed the room, pulled away the thin curtain and popped the window open. The ledge outside was wide, not wide enough for two people to stand for a long time, but wide enough to cross and drop back down to the first floor. They waited for Abigail and Ricky finished their strip tease and stumbled up the stairs.

“Wow,” Odette whispered, “I thought I had gotten drunk tonight.” She laughed, slipping through the unlocked window. Without a thought, she reached her hand back, searching for his as she crossed the room. He slipped his fingers into hers, and without looking back, they ran out the front door.


	4. Part Four

“Come with me. We’ll go to Ricky’s. Since he’s not using the place.”

The pang in her chest was back. She had been right about his crew not going. She had been staying in a hotel room since getting back from her dig. Abigail and Odette had sold off their apartment and packed up all their belongings. People didn’t keep apartments when they were leaving the galaxy. And if Liam’s friend still had his, she doubted Liam was going anywhere near the Initiative. He seemed too nice, too loyal, too...good.

“Right, perfect.”

They took a cab, not wanting to waste a single moment. It was unspoken between them. They didn’t want the night to end but they knew how quickly it would. The sun rose at exactly 0630 every morning on the Citadel, like clockwork. The hologram like sky would begin to coat the stars in blue and inform the thousands upon thousands of people sleeping quietly that morning was here.

He hadn’t let go of her hand since she offered it. He drew his thumb across the back of her hand as they rode in the cab. He only shifted his hand to exit the cab and guide her up the stairs to Ricky’s small apartment. They had crossed the entire citadel to finish what they had started just moments ago.

Ricky’s apartment was cramped but neat. The kitchen and living room were separated by a row of bar stools against an island counter and the bed was easily visible from behind the vibrant sheer curtain. All the furniture was white. The walls were covered in abstract art that neither was beautiful or conversation worthy. Odette wrinkled her nose.

 

“Cozy,” Odette breathed. Liam finally released her hand, moving to the kitchen.

 

“Want a drink?” he asked, head already in the fridge.

 

“Anything good?” she asked, sitting down on one of the bar stools. 

“Vodka, orange juice, and...huh...he actually has strawberries.” Liam pulled all three from the fridge, ungracefully dropping it onto the counter.

“All sound delicious.” She opened the pack of strawberries, popping one in her mouth. “Your friend has some...interesting taste.” She nodded at the paintings.

“Oh, yeah those.” He returned to the counter with two glasses and began to pour them drinks. He handed one to her before taking a sip from his own.“He got them from his grandmother.”

“Oooohhh.” She buried her face into her glass, taking sip after sip.

“They’re shit really,” Liam chuckled. She grinned back.

“At least your friend has excellent taste in vodka.” She raised her glass for him and the tapped a sloppy cheers. She gave him a wink and down the rest of the liquid. She slammed the glass on the table.

“You don’t really savor your drinks, do you?”

“Don’t have the time.”

Odette slipped from the stool. She crossed the room, running a hand across the back of the couch and around the rim of the lamp. She stopped before the two large speakers and the sleeping sound system.

“Does he at least have good taste in music?” she called over to Liam.

“Depends on what you thinks good,” he called back.

She tapped the machine back on, cycling through his music collection with inpatient flicks of her wrist, until she came across an album of songs she recognized.

“Oh, I like this one,” she whispered. Liam saddled up to her, two glasses in hand. He handed her one and she gladly accepted it. She swayed gently to the music as she sipped and he smiled at her.

“You’re a beautiful dancer.”

“This isn’t dancing,” she laughed. “This is swaying. Unless you want to foxtrot around the room, I am shit at dancing.”

“This isn’t exactly foxtrotting music,” he returned. She nodded, taking a swig of her drink.

“Very observant.” She took two large gulps and finished her glass. Liam watched her over the rim of his own glass, finishing it as fast as he could himself.

The song shifted to something with a gentle beat, something deeper.  Liam cleared his throat. “How about a dance with me?” He took her glass from her and placed them both on the coffee table. “I promise you don’t have to be good.” He gestured for her to come closer.

She rolled her eyes, but succumbed to his offer.She fell against him; one hand in his and the other around his shoulder. She traced circles against the back of his neck as they swayed together. 

“See,” he breathed in her ear. Tingles ran down her spin. “You can dance. You just need to find the right partner.”

“Oh and that happens to be you?” she teased, pulling away just enough to lock eyes with him. Their faces still were inches apart. Vodka clung to their breaths.

Liam shrugged. “I mean, I don't wanna brag but I'm pretty good.”

“What else you good at?”

He hummed, spinning before pulling her back. “A lot of things,” he said, eyes falling to her lips. “I'm pretty good at kissing.” He grazed her bottom lip with his own. She leaned into him, completing the gap between them. She moved her hand from his shoulder to his cheek. The kissed deepened as the sway between them slowed to a stop.

She separated from him, licking her bottom lip. “You aren't the worst kiss I've ever had,” she tease.

The song clicked over to something slow and quiet. Odette moved from him, letting his hand slip from her hip. Liam reached out for her. Something in his eyes said,  _ not yet _ . He grabbed her by the wrist, spinning her before him until her back was settled against his chest and his hips were pressed into her.

He swayed with her again, but it was different this time. The tempo was slower. The feeling more sensual. She leaned her head back against his shoulder, closing her eyes. He kissed her neck, drawing his lips down the soft curve to her shoulder. He nibbled at her skin, and pressed his body tight against hers.

It didn’t take long for him to move his hands from her hips to the band of her pants. She hummed an acceptance as his fingers slipped beneath the edge of her pants. He traced his fingers across her hot skin, swaying back and forth like his hips against her back, until he found her moist heat. He stroked her gently with long determined flicks of his fingertips. He teased her sensitive nub to the beat of the song, flitting away along her heat every time her breath hitched.

She squirmed against him, whimpers escaping her, but he held her there, leaving marks against her neck with his lips.

His name escaped her lips and his hand twitched against her. She moaned.

“Say it again. Say my name.”

“Liam,” she breathed.

They didn’t notice the switch in songs again. They didn’t notice that the beat never lined up with the sway of their hips against each other. They were somewhere else. They were together, infinitely. There was no tomorrow.

He drew circles against her slick heat, feeling her hips buck against him. She rose and felt to him. He was in utter control. His arms tightened around her as she came close and then he’d pull away, moving his hand away. She whimpered against him. Begging him to let her get there. Her voice was breathy and made his entire body tingle as she spoke.

He nibbled her earlobe, suckled against her jawline, and drew his teeth across her collarbone.

“Liam, please.”

“Ask me again,” he whispered. He drew his fingers sharply across her sensitive nub. She gasped.

“For fuck sake,” she said, voice tight and trembling, “Liam, please give it to me.”

He chuckled in her ear. She wasn’t as soft and tender as his touch revealed. He circled his fingers once more, this time not moving away as her body trembled against him. He held her up as her body shook, keeping them both from collapsing to the floor. He was sure the song had changed once again but his focus was on the space between her thighs.

Finally he felt her tipping point, her body shook and her moan was strangled in the tightness of her throat as she threw her head back. She came uttering the word  _ fuck _ as if it had a religious weight and crumbled against him.

“Fuck,” she repeated, trying to regain her balance. “You liked doing that a little too much.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Need another drink?” he asked, spinning her back to look at him. He held her up under the elbow. She smirked at him.

“I’m not done with you yet,” she said coolly, pulling on the hem of his pants. He let go of her elbow, watching her as she led him by the waistband to the bed behind the curtain. 

They unceremoniously stripped down. There wasn’t enough hours left before the sun broke the enchantment. There was no more teasing, no more seductive glances. Their breath was heavy and hot. They separated only for a moment just to rejoin again; skin against skin, hot and slick, tumbling onto the bed. Odette wrapped her fingers in Liam’s hair as he kissed along her jawline, her collarbone, and down between the curves of her breasts.

“No,” she whispered, already out of breath, “I need you now.” She locked eyes with him and he moved to cup her close to him as he settled between her legs.

“Already?” he tried to disguise his surprise as a joke. She answered by kissing him hard, bruising.

He shifted against her. She gasped as he entered which turned into a moan as he ground himself into her. Her legs wrapped around him, pulling him into sharper thrusts. She threw her head back against the pillow as the steady build up of sensation rolled along her spine. He didn’t mind her urgency. He didn’t mind her fierce control. He rolled into her, growling hot in her ear. 

He moved his mouth to her neck, suckling the soft skin. She whimpered against him.

Thrust after thrust, they moved rhythmically together until finally her body shuddered around him. She moaned, back arching. He buckled, pressing his hand hard into the bed to keep himself steady. He took a moment there, mouth against her neck, before giving her one last thrust and collapsing against her.

She laughed, breathy and hot, and drew her fingers across his back making him shiver. Satisfied, he returned to her lips, giving her a few short kisses. He pressed his forehead against hers, cupping her cheek with his warm hand. “I have to apologize,” he rasped,  “I think I left a mark or two on your neck.”

He chuckled and it sparked tingles down her spine. She shifted her chin up, getting her nose close enough to rub back and forth against his.

“I’ll just have to return the favor,” she said, voice husky in the afterglow. She wrapped her legs around him, and with surprisingly little effort, flipped Liam onto the bed. She looked down at him triumphantly. Her body glistened with sweat and sex. She leaned down to kiss him. “But I’m going to need another drink first.”

Liam smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

 

***

 

“I shouldn’t kiss you so much,” she whispered. “We’re never going to see each other again.” Her voice was warm from alcohol.

“See, I think you’ve got it all wrong,” Liam muttered, biting at her lip. He placed a kiss at the corner of her mouth, drawing his lips down to her ear. “You should kiss me more. Make up for the time we’ll never have.” 

Odette chuckled. “Aren’t you so smooth.”

“I try.”

She hummed against him.

“I wish I’d met you sooner,” she muttered.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. One night doesn’t feel like enough.” She looked up at him. Her blue eyes watery with sleep. “You’re a great partner in crime.” She chuckled softly.

They were exhausted and drunk, curled up in each other’s arms. Each kiss was softer than the one before. Each kiss was followed by a murmur of a conversation that wasn’t going to be finished. Odette was the first to close her eyes and not open them again. She tucked herself close to him. Her nose buried against his chest. He had fought sleep, trying to soak up the last few moments with her. He had stroked her hair, listening to her steady breathing, before sleeping, reluctantly, took him as well.

There was at least another hour before sunrise. One quiet hour in which they slept soundly in each other's arms. Neither of them thinking about what was going to happen when they had to open their eyes again. Liam slept with a smile plastered across his lips.


	5. Part Five

Odette left him there, sleeping on his stomach, arm wrapped around a pillow. She had spent ten minutes wiggling out from under him without him waking. He would frown and grunt when she moved too quickly and she couldn’t help but smile at him.

He looked comfortable, safe. He looked like Odette’s first regret after signing up for the Initiative. She didn’t have strings before this. She had friends but nothing like this. Nothing like wanting to crawl back into bed with a man she barely even knew.

She sighed, pulling her clothes back on. She leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on the temple. He shifted groggily, pulling the pillow to his chest.

“I’ll see you in another lifetime,” she breathed before leaving Ricky’s small studio apartment.

 

***

Odette should have gone directly to the Pathfinder Team briefing. Especially since she’d missed every single meeting up to that point. She had been planetside. She had been working. She hadn’t been avoiding talking to her dad about Andromeda--not in the slightest--and she hadn’t extended her last excavation trip by like three days to avoid the final meet up with members (except she had). It didn’t quite settle on her that she was afraid of going to Andromeda until she was sitting on the roof of the Hexil Research building watching the artificial sun rise over the Citadel.

She was leaving all of this. She was leaving everything she knew for an adventure that might not pan out. She took a deep breath, scanning the horizon for some sort of answer as to why she suddenly felt the guilt and fear of running to another galaxy but she didn’t find any.

Her omni-tool buzzed. She swiped her hand across the orange glow, knowing exactly who was on the line.

“You’ve reached the voicemail Henry and Henry’s Bean Factory. Leave a message after the pfphpfth,” Odette teased with a straight face, staring at the hologram reflection of her brother, Scott. She heard a sigh from the other end. A sigh that hitched at the end from hiding a laugh.

“Oddie, where the fuck are you? You’re late,” Scott tried hard to sound authoritarian like her father, but he just sounded like her little brother.

“Oh, God. Scott, have you left for Andromeda already? I thought you would have at least fought to wait for me. For shame,” she shook her head somberly.

“Cut the shit, Oddie,” he sighed. “Dad’s looking for you. Said he wanted to introduce you to the rest of the crew before we’re shot light years away. Plus he wanted you for the vids.”

“The vids no one will ever see because this is a super secret mission?”

“Yep, those vids.”

Odette looked over the horizon. The hologram sun pulled across the sky, drawing long shadows across the common pools. “I’m just gonna meet you on the ship, yeah?”

“You sure? There’s going to be hot guys here. Did you read the dossiers?”

“Nawh, I liked to be surprised,” she laughed. Scott smiled, visually shrugging in the video playback.

“More for me then. Though from the looks of you, I think you already found at least one.” He tapped his neck, indicating he noticed the purpling hickies that had bloomed across her neck and upper chest.

She rolled her eyes.

“I’ll tell dad you had some dumb paperwork you still had to fill out. Or that you were murdered…maybe he’ll be less pissed if I said you were murdered.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me. Murdered in the alley behind Club Yo-Yo and found covered in neon glitter,” Odette commented wistfully, staring out into the distance.

“And hickies, don’t forget the hickies.”

“Neon glitter and hickies. What a way to go.” She sighed dramatically.

“And I get to be the only twin in the videos, perfect.”

Odette laughed. “All yours, kid. Don’t trip on your own feet while you flirt with the camera.”

There was a pause between them.

“Don’t be too late,” Scott returned. “I’d hate for you to miss the boat and get stuck here in the boring old Milky Way.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you in like six hundred years. It’ll be fine. Don’t say anything stupid.”

“No promises,” he breathed.

She blew him a kiss and he wrinkled his nose at her before hanging up. She kicked her feet out over the edge, letting them swing back against the wall and laid back.

This was goodbye. Saying goodbye always sucked, but it was even worse as the alcohol faded completely and left behind aching temples. She closed her eyes. “ _ Fuck _ ,” she whispered to herself.


	6. Part Six

It wasn’t something she thought possible, but a hangover could last over six hundred years. Compound with the withdrawal of the meds and the liquids that had been pumped through her system over and over again for hundreds of years, her head pounded and throbbed as if she’d gotten into a crash.

She sat up, body gasping for the harsh pull of oxygen through her longs. They were waterlogged. Probably the same feeling babies experienced but were lucky enough to forget. She blinked about the white room. A room she didn’t recognize but one she knew of. She’d seen sketches of it before they left the Milky Way.  _ Here is where they’ll keep the crew _ . She had been put to sleep on a table, watched over by a dozen doctors before being put into the pod.

It was mostly because she was late. There had been a dramatic demonstration, recorded for future generations to see, where doctors hovered over open pods and fiddled with dials and a dozen other things.

Odette had also been a little petrified by the idea of being locked up in a box and slowly feeling her body stop working. So it was better she had been late.

But now she was here, in Andromeda with everyone else, woken up before thousands upon thousands of people, and part of a crew that was going to ensure their survival.

Between the thumps of her headache, the feeling settled in her shoulders. They were in Andromeda. She had made it to Andromeda.

“We made it,” she breathed, rubbing her blue eyes clear of whatever six hundred years of sleep created between her eyelashes.

She moved to stand, stumbling on her feet.

“Hey. Deep breaths. You’re gonna want to take it easy.”

She sat back down, shaking her head.

“I’ve been taking it easy for six hundred years,” she laughed, feeling how strange her voice felt speaking louder than a whisper.

“Ryder. Odette. Recon Specialist. Pathfinder Mission Team.”

“Pathfinder Team, eh? The ones finding us a home?”

“Can you make it somewhere tropical? Nice, warm ocean...summer year round?”

“How about we get her a cup of coffee first?”

She wasn’t much of a coffee drinker. Tended only to drink a cup after drinking too much alcohol the night before. But she welcomed the warmth between her fingers and the faintly bitter aroma.

She took it black as if the bitter flavor was going to keep her focused. It didn’t matter much though, after the first sip she’d burned enough of the roof of her mouth for the flavor not to matter. If it wasn’t for her father and her impeccable ability to improvise, she’d probably still be in the Milky Way. Maybe she could have asked for the cute guy’s number if she had.

Odette blew at the hot coffee. The welcome vid played loudly in the common medical bay beside her. She hadn’t been the first woken up. But she had been woken up before her brother which she’d hold against him when he was finally defrosted.

“Odette Ryder? Let’s get you checked out.” Doctor Lexi shook Odette out of her thoughts, forcing her to sit up for the post defrost check up. She sighed, pushing her shoulders back and into the standard military straightness she’d learned from being her father’s daughter. “Look here.”

The light of the scanner was bright in her eyes.

“Light sensitivity from the sleep?” Lexi asked.

“No. It’s from my last shore leave on the Citadel.”

Lexi hummed, continuing her examination.

“Thought the Pathfinder team was on strict orders not to drink the night before launch,” Lexi mused.

Odette shrugged. “I never read the dossier notes. I was off on a dig up to launch day. I was on the Citadel long enough to pack up my apartment and say goodbye.”

Lexi nodded. She glided her hand down Odette’s neck, checking for swelling, especially around her lymph nodes.

“Oh, does my neck...look normal...to you?” She sounded far more suspicious than she had tried to. She wondered if after being asleep for six hundred years if the hickies she’d gotten had finally faded or if they were still there, plain as day.

“Yes, why?” Lexi asked, narrowing her eyes. Odette just shrugged, mildly disappointed they had faded.

“It’s nothing. Just curious.”

Lexi sighed, tapping away at her datapad. A few awkward moments passed between them before Lexi spoke up again. “Makes it sound easy, doesn’t it?” Lexi commented, nodding her head at the welcome vid. Flashes of beautiful landscapes and surreal worlds flashed across the screen.

“I hope not,” Odette laughed. “I signed up for a little adventure before we settle down.”

“Well, buckle up. Sounds like you’ll get your wish.”

“Yeah?”

“Over here now.” Odette followed Doctor Lexi’s hand as she moved it across Odette’s vision. “The Pathfinder wants you all on your feet right away. He said ‘mission ready within the hour.’”

Her eyebrows rose. The only time her father was that excited was when bad things were happening.

“Any idea why?”

“No but I’m guessing that’s where ‘your adventure’ comes in.”

Odette shrugged.

Doctor Lexi sighed, tapping away at her datapad. “Alright, everything checks out. Just one more thing before I send you on your way.” Doctor Lexi moved to the side, tapping away on her datapad.

Odette took another sip of her coffee, wincing more at the burn across her palette than the flavor, and scanned the room. Her eyes fell on someone familiar. He sat across from her with dark skin, wild hair, and a playful smile on his lips. If she had gone to any of the briefings or had decided to be on time that last day, she would have seen him there with the rest of the crew, talking to her brother about this amazing girl he had met that night and how it was sad he’d never see her again.

But instead, she got to see him again in Andromeda after thinking it was all over, after thinking she’d had the most extreme one night stand she’ll ever have in her life. All those thoughts popped into her head again. How his hands felt against her skin. How she had wanted that to last even long. How it felt to run her hands through his hair.

Her lips hovered over the lip of her coffee cup. His eyes locked on hers and her lips touched the hot liquid causing her to sputter. Liam laughed and after wiping the hot liquid from her lips, Odette smiled at him. She gave him a little wave and he waved back.

_ Hi, _ she mouthed.

_ Hi, _ he returned. She was like a schoolgirl with a crush.She wasn’t like the girl that climbed a building after three shots of tequila and a silvery drink that tasted like mangos.

Her smile was contagious though. He smiled back at her with the same intensity. 

“Ryder?” Lexi tapped her shoulder.

“Sorry, I wasn’t listening,” Odette said, a smile still playing on her lips.

“I noticed. Are you always this difficult?”

Odette laughed. “Have you met my father? I’m pretty sure it’s a required family trait.”

 

***

 

“You gave me a bruise,” he teased, gently pressing into the purple discoloration along his chest.

Odette pursed her lips and frowned. “You’re really going to blame me for that?” She pulled off her dust covered shirt and pants and tossed the wad of clothing on the couch. Dust poofed into the air. She wrinkled her nose.

“Damn right I’m going to blame you. You didn’t have to check me so hard.” He winced dramatically, eyeing her as she stripped down into her underwear. He was teasing her, like he’d done since they’d locked eyes on each other back on Hyperion. He was a nice break from knowing everything depended on her.

“It’s not my fault you’re bad at futball,” she teased back, crawling up the bed to settle beside him.

“Oh, that’s what this is?” He gestured at himself. “This is because I’m bad at futball?” He only had some reddening of his skin and a faint bruise growing on his chest.

“Do you need me to kiss it to make it better?” she asked, gently tapping at his bruises. He grunted, pulling her hand away and pinning her down on the bed. He winced as his bruised chest laid against her.

Odette laughed, lifting her head to rub her nose against his. He shifted his chin to give her a kiss and she giggled at him. He stared at her for a bit, taking in every inch of her flushed face.

“What?” she asked, blinking up at him.

“I just...I still can’t believe I’m here with you,” he breathed.

Odette hummed. “Who would have thought the guy I picked up in a bar would follow me across the universe.”

“Hey, I’m pretty sure I was put in cryo before you. So you followed me,” he teased.

“Semantics,” she returned, covering his face in kisses.

“I’m serious, though,” he continued when she finally settled back against the bed. “I love you, Odette.”

She grinned at him. “I love you, too, Liam,” she returned, without hesitation. “Even if you’re horrible at sports.”


End file.
